Eur. J. Entomol. 123: 158-164, 2026 | DOI: 10.14411/eje.2026.016

Where courtship leans left: Insights into the mating behavior of Latheticus oryzae (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae)Original article

Maria C. BOUKOUVALA ORCID...1, Demeter Lorentha S. GIDARI ORCID...1, Nickolas G. KAVALLIERATOS ORCID...1, *, Donato ROMANO ORCID...2, 3
1 Laboratory of Agricultural Zoology and Entomology, Department of Crop Science, Agricultural University of Athens, 75 Iera Odos str., 11855, Athens, Attica, Greece; e-mails: mbouk@aua.gr, dlgidari@aua.gr, nick_kaval@aua.gr
2 The BioRobotics Institute, Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies, Pisa, Italy; e-mail: donato.romano@santannapisa.it
3 Department of Excellence in Robotics and AI, Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies, Pisa, Italy

Latheticus oryzae Waterhouse (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae) is a cosmopolitan secondary pest of stored products, yet it remains an understudied species. In this study we examined the courtship and mating sequence of L. oryzae, as well as the behavioral lateralization, exploring its influence on copulation success. Males of L. oryzae exhibited a left-biased tendency across various phases of mating (i.e., approach of the female, mounting, departure). The side of approach and departure significantly affected copulation success rates, in contrast to the mounting side. Left-biased L. oryzae males achieved higher mating success and demonstrated significantly shorter mate detection and copulation attempt durations compared to males of the other directions (back, front, and right). From a control perspective, the strong directional tendency of L. oryzae at the mating behavior may offer novel opportunities for pest management strategies that exploit lateralization-based disruptions. Overall, these findings establish the first comprehensive description of the mating procedure of L. oryzae and highlight the functional significance of behavioral asymmetries in the copulation success of stored-product pests.

Keywords: Long-headed flour beetle, copulation, lateralization, stored-product pest, tenebrionid

Received: December 20, 2025; Revised: April 22, 2026; Accepted: April 22, 2026; Published online: May 7, 2026  Show citation

ACS AIP APA ASA Harvard Chicago Chicago Notes IEEE ISO690 MLA NLM Turabian Vancouver
BOUKOUVALA, M.C., GIDARI, D.L.S., KAVALLIERATOS, N.G., & ROMANO, D. (2026). Where courtship leans left: Insights into the mating behavior of Latheticus oryzae (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae). EJE, 123, Article 158-164. https://doi.org/10.14411/eje.2026.016
Share...
Download citation
  • BibTeX (.bib)
  • Bookends (.ris)
  • EasyBib (.ris)
  • EndNote (.enw)
  • EndNote 8 (.xml)
  • ISI WoS (.isi)
  • Medlars (.medlars)
  • Mendeley (.ris)
  • MODS (.xml)
  • Papers (.ris)
  • RefWorks (.txt)
  • RefManager (.ris)
  • RIS (.ris)
  • MS Word (.xml)
  • Zotero (.ris)
    • Open full article

    References

    1. Badawi A. 1972: The external morphology of the adult Latheticus oryzae Waterhouse (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae). - Z. Angew. Entomol. 70: 225-236. Go to original source...
    2. Benelli G., Romano D., Stefanini C., Kavallieratos N.G., Athanassiou C.G. & Canale A. 2017: Asymmetry of mating behaviour affects copulation success in two stored-product beetles. - J. Pest Sci. 90: 547-556. Go to original source...
    3. Boukouvala M.C., Romano D., Kavallieratos N.G., Athanassiou C.G., Stefanini C., Canale A. & Benelli G. 2019: Asymmetric courtship boosts male mating success in the red flour beetle, Tribolium castaneum (Herbst) (Coleoptera: Tene­brionidae). - J. Stored Prod. Res. 81: 1-6. Go to original source...
    4. Boukouvala M.C., Romano D., Kavallieratos N.G., Athanassiou C.G., Stefanini C., Canale A. & Benelli G. 2020: Does geographical origin affect lateralization and male mating success in Rhyzopertha dominica beetles? - J. Stored Prod. Res. 88: 101630, 11 pp. Go to original source...
    5. Boukouvala M.C., Romano D., Kavallieratos N.G., Stefanini C., Canale A. & Benelli G. 2021: Behavioral asymmetries affecting male mating success in Tenebrio molitor (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae), an important edible species. - J. Econ. Entomol. 114: 454-461. Go to original source...
    6. Boukouvala M.C., Kavallieratos N.G., Canale A. & Benelli G. 2022: Functional asymmetries routing the mating behavior of the rusty grain beetle, Cryptolestes ferrugineus (Stephens) (Coleoptera: Laemophloeidae). - Insects 13: 699, 10 pp. Go to original source...
    7. Boukouvala M.C., Kavallieratos N.G., Maggi F., Angeloni S., Ricciutelli M., Spinozzi E., Ferrati M., Petrelli R., Canale A. & Benelli G. 2023: Being exposed to Acmella oleracea-based insecticides extract reduces mobility and mating success in Prostephanus truncatus, the major pest of maize in storages. - J. Stored Prod. Res. 104: 102151, 12 pp. Go to original source...
    8. Boukouvala M.C., Kavallieratos N.G., Gidari D.L.S., Filintas C.S., Skourti A., Kyrpislidi V.P.C. & Skordos D.P. 2025: Love in the time of pyrethroids: Mating behavior of Sitophilus zeamais is influenced by sublethal concentrations of λ-cyhalothrin and lateralization. - Insects 16: 865, 14 pp. Go to original source...
    9. Calla-Quispe E., Irigoin E., Mansurova M., Martel C. & Ibáñez A.J. 2023: Lateralized movements during the mating behavior, which are associated with sex and sexual experience, increase the mating success in Alphitobius diaperinus (Coleo­ptera: Tenebrionidae). - Insects 14: 806, 12 pp. Go to original source...
    10. Castañé C. & Riudavets J. 2015: Sampling arthropod pests and natural enemies in stored barley. - J. Stored Prod. Res. 64: 54-61. Go to original source...
    11. Chitadze L., Meparishvili M., Lagani V., Khuchua Z., Mccabe B.J. & Solomonia R. 2024: Src-NADH dehydrogenase subunit 2 complex and recognition memory of imprinting in domestic chicks. - PLoS ONE 19: e0297166, 19 pp. Go to original source...
    12. Chouhan J.S. & Yadav T.D. 1984: Toxicity of baythion, etrimfos and malathion against different stages of Lasioderma serricorne (Fab.), Stegobium paniceum (Linn.), and Latheticus oryzae Waterhouse. - Indian J. Entomol. 46: 277-283.
    13. Costalunga G., Kobylkov D., Rosa-Salva O., Vallortigara G. & Mayer U. 2022: Light-incubation effects on lateralisation of single unit responses in the visual Wulst of domestic chicks. - Brain Struct. Funct. 227: 497-513. Go to original source...
    14. Deshwal R., Vaibhav V., Kumar N., Kumar A. & Singh R. 2020: Stored grain insect pests and their management: An overview. - J. Entomol. Zool. Stud. 8: 969-974.
    15. Ghaly W.A., Saleh A., Bosly H. & Abu El-Ghiet A. 2025: Estimating the lethal absorbed doses of far infrared radiation on both Latheticus oryzae Waterhouse, 1880 (Coleoptera: Tene­brionidae) and germination of Sorghum bicolor L. (Poaceae) grains. - J. Radiat. Res. Appl. Sci. 18: 101851, 7 pp. Go to original source...
    16. Gidari D.L.S., Kavallieratos N.G. & Boukouvala M.C. 2024: Sublethal effects of α-cypermethrin on the behavioral asymmetries and mating success of Alphitobius diaperinus. - Insects 15: 804, 14 pp. Go to original source...
    17. Güntürkün O., Ströckens F. & Ocklenburg S. 2020: Brain lateralization: a comparative perspective. - Physiol. Rev. 100: 1019-1063. Go to original source...
    18. Hagstrum D.W., Klejdysz T.Z., Subramanyam B. & Nawrot J. 2013: Atlas of Stored Product Insects and Mites. AACC International, St. Paul, MN, 74 pp. Go to original source...
    19. Halstead D.G.H. 1963: External sex differences in stored-products Coleoptera. - Bull. Entomol. Res. 54: 119-134. Go to original source...
    20. Hardy I.C.W., Ode P.J. & Siva-Jothy M. 2005: Mating behaviour. In Jervis M. (ed.): Insects as Natural Enemies: A Practical Perspective. Springer, Dordrecht, pp. 219-260. Go to original source...
    21. Hill D.S. 2003: Pests of Storage Foodstuffs and their Control. Kluwer Academic Publishers, New York, NY, 212 pp.
    22. Hopper K.R. & Roush R.T. 1993: Mate finding, dispersal, number released, and the success of biological control introductions. - J. Ecol. Entomol. 18: 321-331. Go to original source...
    23. Kavallieratos N.G., Athanassiou C.G., Guedes R.N., Drempela J.D. & Boukouvala M.C. 2017: Invader competition with local competitors: displacement or coexistence among the invasive khapra beetle, Trogoderma granarium Everts (Coleo­ptera: Dermestidae), and two other major stored-grain beetles? - Front. Plant Sci. 8: 1837, 17 pp. Go to original source...
    24. Kavallieratos N.G., Boukouvala M.C., Gidari D.L.S., Di Giuseppe G., Canale A. & Benelli G. 2023: Does cross-mating affect behavioral asymmetries and mating success of khapra beetle (Trogoderma granarium) strains? - Entomol. Gen. 43: 409-419. Go to original source...
    25. Kavallieratos N.G., Gidari D.L.S., Filintas C.S., Boukouvala M.C. & Pantelakis N.N. 2026: Insecticidal response of the understudied Latheticus oryzae to six insecticides. - Crop Prot. 205: 107578, 9 pp. Go to original source...
    26. Khalifa A. & Badawy A. 1955: Biological studies on Tribolium confusum Duv., Tribolium castaneum Hbst., and Latheticus oryzae Waterh. (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae). - Bull. Soc. Entomol. Égypte 39: 351-373.
    27. Macneilage P.F., Rogers L.J. & Vallortigara G. 2009: Origins of the left and right brain. - Sci. Am. 301: 60-67. Go to original source...
    28. Miletto Petrazzini M.E., Sovrano V.A., Vallortigara G. & Messina A. 2020: Brain and behavioral asymmetry: a lesson from fish. - Front. Neuroanat. 14: 11, 22 pp. Go to original source...
    29. Nowosielski-Slepowron B.J.A., & Aryeetey E.A. 1980: Developmental biology of field and laboratory populations of Latheticus oryzae Waterhouse (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae) under various conditions of temperature and humidity. - J. Stored Prod. Res. 16: 55-66. Go to original source...
    30. Polnik A.J. 1956: Interactions of Some Intraspecies Processes of Tribolium confusum and Latheticus oryzae in Relation to the end Product of Competition. PhD thesis, The University of Chicago, 45 pp.
    31. Rees D.P. 2004: Insects of Stored Products. CSIRO Publishing, Collingwood, pp. 104-105. Go to original source...
    32. Rogers L.J. & Vallortigara G. 2015: When and why did brains break symmetry? - Symmetry 7: 2181-2194. Go to original source...
    33. Rogers L.J., Zucca P. & Vallortigara G. 2004: Advantages of having a lateralized brain. - Proc. R. Soc. (B) 271: 420-422. Go to original source...
    34. Rogers L.J., Vallortigara G. & Andrew R.J. 2013: Divided Brains: The Biology and Behaviour of Brain Asymmetries. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 229 pp. Go to original source...
    35. Romano D., Kavallieratos N.G., Athanassiou C.G., Stefanini C., Canale A. & Benelli G. 2016: Impact of geographical origin and rearing medium on mating success and lateralization in the rice weevil, Sitophilus oryzae (L.) (Coleoptera: Curculionidae). - J. Stored Prod. Res. 69: 106-112. Go to original source...
    36. Rosentrater K.A. 2022: Insects in grains: Identification, damage, and detection. In Rosentrater K.A. (ed.): Storage of Cereal Grains and their Products. Woodhead, Sawston, pp. 607-646. Go to original source...
    37. Sas Institute Inc. 2021: Using JMP 16.2. SAS Institute Inc., Cary, North Carolina, NC.
    38. Siniscalchi M. 2017: Olfactory lateralization. In Rogers L.J. & Vallortigara G. (eds): Lateralized Brain Functions: Methods in Human and Non-Human Species. Springer Nature, New York, NY, pp. 103-120.
    39. Sokoloff A. 1959: The genetics of "pearl" in Latheticus oryzae Waterh. - Can. J. Genet. Cytol. 1: 183-188. Go to original source...
    40. Tripathi A.K. 2018: Pests of stored grains. In Omkar (ed.): Pests and their Management. Springer, Gateway East, pp. 311-359. Go to original source...
    41. Vallortigara G. & Rogers L.J. 2005: Survival with an asymmetrical brain: advantages and disadvantages of cerebral lateralization. - Behav. Brain Sci. 28: 575-588. Go to original source...
    42. Wang Y.L., Jin Q.N. & Wang X.P. 2021: Effects of delayed mating on the reproductive performance of Henosepilachna vigintioctopunctata (F.) (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae). - Insects 12: 629, 13 pp. Go to original source...
    43. Xu S., Cheng L., Hu W., Gao Y., Cheng Q. & Lv J. 2025: The complete mitochondrial genome of the pest beetle Latheticus oryzae: Assembly, annotation, and phylogenetic analysis. - Ecol. Evol. 15: e72717, 11 pp. Go to original source...

    This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0), which permits use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original publication is properly cited. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.


    Return to the content